If you’re like me and like to experiment with your food, you probably prefer eating rice noodles to traditional rice dishes. In addition to being delicious, rice noodles are also very nourishing, easy on the stomach, and keep you full.
These thin noodles, also referred to as vermicelli noodles, are a staple of Asian cuisine.
However, because rice noodles don’t expand much after cooking, it is very challenging to determine how much is too much. You’ll undoubtedly have leftovers from this that you don’t know what to do with.
This article features some of the best tried-and-true techniques for reheating rice noodles that ANYONE can use, perhaps even those who should really avoid the kitchen.
How to reheat japchae in a skillet:
If you’re preparing the japchae from frozen, increase the cooking time by a few minutes.
This is my favorite way to reheat japchae. Low heat effectively preserves the noodles’ texture while subtly enhancing the other flavors in the dish.
If you intend to serve the japchae at a buffet later in the day, this method is the best. In contrast, microwaves can cause food to become quite chewy and hard if it isn’t eaten right away (more on this in the section after this).
Place the japchae into a bowl that can go in the microwave first to reheat it. After that, add 2 tablespoons of water to the japchae and loosely wrap it in plastic wrap. Reheat on full power in 15-second increments until piping hot. Let the japchae rest for 30 seconds before serving immediately.
My Tips for Making Perfect Japchae
- Pork or imitation crab meat in lieu of beef.
- Spinach can be replaced with green or red bell peppers (julienned), Chinese chives, green onions, or even some green chili peppers.
- Egg Jidan, a thin, pan-fried egg that resembles a crepe, can be used as a garnish.
- Just leave out the beef; for my One-Pan Japchae recipe, see below.
- Gluten Free – glass noodles are naturally gluten-free. Just make sure to use a GF soy sauce, such as Tamari soy sauce, to make the Japchae completely gluten-free.
If you want to try my one-pan Japchae recipe from 2016, you can find it here. I simplified the recipe without sacrificing the flavor!.
Servings: 6 Preparation: 30 minutes Cooking: 30 minutes Moderate Difficulty
Step-by-Step Directions
- Cut beef into thin strips, against the grain. You can also use bulgogi meat that has been cut into smaller pieces if you want a quick fix.
- In a bowl big enough to accommodate the beef, combine the beef marinade. While you prepare the vegetables, add the beef, give it a few minutes to sit, and then massage it with your hands. Since the flavor of the garlic in this dish doesn’t need to be overpowering, I used garlic powder; however, if you prefer, you can use fresh garlic.
- Boil 8 to 10 C of water in a pot, then cook the dangmyeon (glass noodles) as directed on the package (usually 6 to 8 minutes), or until the noodles are clear and soft throughout the noodle. Since the glass noodles soak up a lot of water, more water is preferable to insufficient water.
- Once the noodles are cooked, drain. Season noodles with soy sauce, sugar, and sesame oil while they are still warm.
- To make noodles easier to eat, cut them with scissors several times. The noodles won’t stick together if you coat them in oil first.
- Wash spinach. To quickly blanch them, quickly bring another pot of salted water to a boil (6 C or so + 1 tsp salt). Make sure to only cook the spinach for 40 seconds at most. Spinach ought to be somewhat chewy but not mushy.
- To stop the cooking process, shock the cooked spinach in ice or cold water.
- After draining the water, gently squeeze the spinach between your hands to remove any remaining water, forming a ball.
- Season blanched spinach with some salt and sesame oil. Set aside.
- Dried wood ear mushrooms (on the right in top left image #1) and shitake mushrooms (on the left) should be soaked.
- Mushrooms should be rehydrated in warm water for 20 minutes or until completely soft. To speed things up, soak them in hot water.
- Clean soaked mushrooms under water. To ensure that all the dirt is washed off, dirt or sand are occasionally buried in the mushroom. Additionally, you can trim the ends with the dirt.
- Cut shitake mushrooms into thin strips. Cut wood ear mushrooms into rough wider strips. Set aside.
- Julienne carrots and onions and set aside.
- Add 1 T oil in frying pan on medium heat. Add onions and sprinkle a pinch of salt. Saute until onions become transparent but not brown.
- Add 1 T oil in frying pan on medium heat. Add carrots and a pinch of salt. Saute carrots until they are soft and tender.
- Add 1 T oil in frying pan on medium heat. Add mushrooms and a pinch of salt. The mushrooms should be cooked after 3 minutes of sautéing.
- Add 1/2 T oil in frying pan on medium-high heat. Saute the beef until they are fully cooked. Cook a little bit longer to let any remaining juices in the pan evaporate.
Sprinkle some toasted sesame seeds. Taste some noodles with the vegetables and the beef. Adjust seasoning with more soy sauce and sugar as needed. It will taste better if you add more soy sauce, sugar, and a dash of sesame oil as the final garnish, unless you prefer things to be extremely bland. (I mixed 450g of glass noodles with about 3 Tbs soy sauce, 1 Tbs sugar, and 1 Tbs sesame oil.) ).
Enjoy it with some rice and other main dishes, and that’s it. This Japchae/Chapchae pairs well with a variety of foods because of its mild flavor, but it goes especially well with other party foods like
And because it takes a lot of work, I typically serve this as our main course with some rice and perhaps some soup or jjigae when I make it for our dinners.
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Can You Reheat Japchae in an Oven?
Arrange the glass noodles on a baking sheet and reheat the japchae in the oven. Spray them gently with non-stick cooking spray before placing them in a preheated oven for 9 to 10 minutes.
After taking the glass noodles out of the oven, place them however you like on plates or bowls. At this point, while the noodles are still hot, add any seasonings you desire, such as soy sauce or salt and pepper. Serve warm.
FAQ
How do you reheat glass noodles?
Japchae can be warmed up in a nonstick frying pan over low heat while being frequently stirred. You can also microwave but I prefer the pan method.
Do glass noodles reheat well?
Glass noodles reheat much better than rice noodles. Glass noodles can be heated and returned to their original texture, but I never suggest doing so with rice noodle dishes. To fully restore their softness, the noodles must be heated until they are steaming hot.
How do you reheat clear noodles?
Method 1: Drop into boiling water Begin by bringing a big pot of salted water to a boil. Put the colander with the leftover noodles in the boiling water. After about 30 seconds, remove the pasta from the water and let it continue to heat. Serve the pasta after tossing it with the remaining sauce and garnishes.
How do you reheat Japanese Chae?
Japchae is best heated in a skillet with a touch of sesame oil. Remaining japchae and a tablespoon of sesame oil are added to the skillet and it is placed over low heat. 3-5 minutes, or until the japchae is thoroughly heated, should be spent stirring.